Dodgers News: Scott Boras Backtracks on Comments Blaming Dodgers for Cody Bellinger’s Injury
Cody Bellinger was one of the most popular members of the Dodgers during his time with the team. LA fans got to see him grow up over time, and he represented the city proudly.
He won the 2019 National League MVP award and was a major reason why the team won the World Series in 2020. So, when he left the organization this past offseason, most fans felt a certain level of sadness to see him go.
But the front office felt it was time, as he hadn’t been producing at the level, they needed him to. He ultimately signed with the Chicago Cubs and is now in the midst of a strong comeback year. It appeared that both sides had moved on from their time together.
That was until recently when Bellinger’s agent Scott Boras made some out-of-bounds comments when speaking with Bob Nightengale of USA Today that hinted LA was to blame for the struggles of Bellinger the last few seasons.
“He has surgery, and the Dodgers asked him to play with a 35% strength deficiency, and then with COVID, he was deprived of the expert medical treatment,” Boras added in the USA Today story. “He didn’t have the shoulder strength. You don’t just go from a .900 OPS to a .500 OPS without understanding the impact of an injury.”
Per The LA Times
The comments from Boras came out of nowhere, and after Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman responded to the claims, Boras retracted and clarified his original meaning.
“The Dodgers were not forcing Cody to play,” Boras said. “But Cody is a good teammate. And he wanted to play and go out there, knowing he just had surgery. That was the extent of that. And he had a clear strength deficit because of the surgery. There was no wrongdoing on the Dodgers’ part, because it was mutual that Cody wanted to play and the Dodgers wanted him to play.”
Per The LA Times
It’s a little fishy that Boras changed his words right after Friedman responded. But Boras and the Dodgers haven’t always gotten along in the past.
“What I found really interesting was that there was no mention of the Boras Institute and its role in any of this,” Friedman said. “But I’ll just leave it at that.”
Per The LA Times
This situation certainly won’t help things, and it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in potential future free-agent negotiations. The two sides are expected to talk this winter regarding impending free-agent pitcher Julio Urias.
This will be something to watch as the offseason begins. Both sides may feel a certain way, but business is business and should be handled in a professional manner.
Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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Now you understand why neither Julio or JD will be resigned. Friedman doesn’t play when the Boras hype gets in full swing.
With how poor that Julio has been pitching, he may not re-sign with LA and go for the big bucks as a free agent. He is not doing himself any favors with how poorly he is doing. And, the home run ball has hurt him bigly too.
Agree!!!
I follow the game, with enthusiasm and interest, but I admit I really don’t know much about what goes on behind the scenes, especially with the $$$/agent games. Boras job is to maximize his clients earnings, and seems to be very successful in that. And apparently has a whole, almost industry behind him, he’s not just an agent. But the way he comes off from this outsider suggests if I was a MLB exec I would tend to ignore any of his clients, just because he represents them.